12 Dec 25

The Flash and Priorslee Balancing Lake

7.0°C > 8.0°C:  Once more the Telford "hat" of low cloud impacted viewing after early rain delayed my start. A few breaks beginning to appear. Light north-westerly wind. Good visibility.

[Sunrise:  08:13 GMT]

As usual with a delayed start I visited The Flash first.

photos will be added later

Priorslee Balancing Lake:  10:30 – 11:50
(300th visit of the year)

A short visit viewing from the dam-top area only.

Bird notes:
- no Mallard seen.
- a scattering of Pochard new in (from The Flash?)
- two drake Goosanders noted. Unusually for here they stayed a while though were often poking about unseen inside the reeds.
- all the large gulls were spooked by something and all departed together. The Black-headed Gulls stayed on the water.
- unusually for a mid/late morning visit a few Jackdaws and Rooks were passing over on their usual post-roost trajectory.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 23 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- no Canada Geese
- no Mallard
- 6 (3) Pochard
- 26 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 (2♂) Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 42 Coot
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 23 Herring Gulls
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron

Of note.

Nothing else

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 11:55 – 12:30

(294th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Shoveler was seen in flight only and assumed to be "our" drake, but...
- no (Common) Teal found.
- as often seems to be their habit when it has recently rained many of the Moorhens were out feeding on the grass.
- the Great (White) Egret present again.
- after many days without sight or sound I noted a Collared Dove singing (well: he calls it singing) from a roof-top in Derwent Drive.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 4 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler: see notes
- 21 (16♂) Mallard: others hiding somewhere?
- 3 (2♂) Pochard
- 40 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 (3♂) Goosander
- 15 Moorhens
- 44 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: a first- and a third-winter arrived separately
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults; arrived separately again
- 2 Cormorants: one departed
- 2 Grey Herons
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Around the area:

Nothing noted

(Ed Wilson)